Ortoviva ready for clinical testing early 2008

LinkMed’s portfolio company Ortoviva’s development work is progressing well and testing carried out by the company has yielded very positive results. The company plans to start clinical testing in early 2008.

”Thanks to careful and focused work in close consultation with surgeons and disc implantation companies, we have achieved very positive results in a short timeframe. We will be carrying out some additional development work in order to start clinical testing at the beginning of 2008” says Ortoviva’s CEO, Stan Mikulowski, who is also Senior Venture Manager at LinkMed.

Today surgeons do not have access to accurate instruments that enable them to insert artificial discs with simplicity and exactitude. If a quality technical solution was made available more patients could be treated with disc prostheses rather than having their vertebrae fused.

Ortoviva is developing a technical solution for spinal surgery that facilitates the insertion of artificial discs. The solution is comprised of three components: an instrument that holds adjacent vertebra apart, a placement devise for implanting the artificial disc and a dispenser system for the bone adhesive.

”The solution is one of a kind and will significantly simplify spinal surgery procedures to the benefit of many patients. Furthermore, it will work with both present and coming versions of disc prostheses,” says Staffan Bowald, clinical expert at Ortoviva.

LinkMed’s ownership stake in Ortoviva is 49 percent.


For additional information contact:
Ingemar Lagerlöf, CEO, LinkMed +46 8 508 939 93